Some Recent photos - Parrots - Bourkes, Mulga, and Budgerigars

Recently I've been travelling west of Alice Springs. There is a wonderful stretch of road called the Namatjira-Kintore Link Road. It is a dirt road that runs for about 44 kms, from the Glen Helen Road turnoff to the T intersection where you can go left to Haasts Bluff or right to Papunya. The scenery is dominated by the Haasts Bluff range, and the countryside is thick with spinifex grasses, mulga trees, as well as ghost gums, rocky hills and the occasional creek crossing (that are dry almost all of the time.

In the past I have found Bourkes Parrots fairly easy to find on this stretch of road in a particular spot. Generally I can stop the car, walk into a mulga patch, stand and listen for a few minutes and I can hear their calls. At the moment though, they have moved into an area that is a bit higher and can be easily spotted during the day feeding on the side of the road. There are many other species, but when I saw 40 of the Bourkes Parrots, I didn't seem to notice the other birds.

The Mulga Parrots are in the same vicinity and occasionally I have seen them feeding next to Bourkes and Budgerigars. Quite a colourful (and noisy) mix.

The Budgerigars are flocking more and more as each day passes. It is a real buzz to hear even a small flock of 50 birds whizz past. On one day recently I estimated about 500, it was early and they seem to get together early in the morning then spread out into smaller groups during the day, presumably to re-congregate in the evenings. The flashes of vibrant green are a fairly common occurrence at the moment as the Budgerigars burst from roadside feeding.

Even more recent rains to follow up last month's rainfall promises the Boom Time to continue for a while yet.

Bourkes Parrot

 

Mulga Parrots

 

 

Budgerigars

Red-backed Kingfisher in the morning sun

One of my most enjoyable stopping places between Haasts Bluff and Papunya is the Frederick Blakely Memorial. I have had a few enjoyable birding experiences there, including a close-up "viewing" by a Black-breasted Buzzard, watching a pair of Red-capped Robins hopping about the road chirping away to one another, and last week I enjoyed a rare close-up experience with a Red-backed Kingfisher.

As I pulled off the road into the small memorial area, the kingfisher took off (as per usual) from a tree very close to the memorial itself. I watched as it flew not far away (not normal) and perched on an exposed branch on a nearby tree. I inched the car forward, winding down the window as I progressed, trying to reach over to the camera at the same time. It was still there. I stopped the car, turned off the engine and slowly brought the camera to my eye. It is normally at about this point in time I realise I have settings on the camera for a completely different shot, ie on the TV setting, with the lens set for a long distant shot and lots of the focal points selected. I was pleased to realise the camera was on the right settings for the shot in front of me. I clicked away. The resultant photos below are a few of the ones I chose.

Red-backed Kingfisher

A week at Papunya

This week has been a bit of a change from the normal settings on the camera to try to use the "M" mode. I have heard a lot of people say if you can master that your photos will become a lot higher quality and finish. Certainly haven't mastered it, but have managed to fluke a few unusual shots, and see some stunning birds.

The last is not a huge list, probably only about 25 birds for the week. A few pleasant surprises - Painted Finches coming to drink, and Common Bronzewings during the day. Interestingly, hardly a bird of prey. I think I have only seen one Whistling Kite for the whole week atPapunya, very different to seeing all 6 falco varieties in one hour last year at the same spot.

Below are a few selected photos. You can probably notice the difference best with the "M" mode in the second Common Bronzewing, and the second Crested Pigeon. I hope you enjoy the photos:

Painted Finches

Zebra Finch

Common Bronzewing

Crested Pigeon

Horsefield's Bronze-cuckoo

Little Crow

White-winged Fairy-wrens

Maybe my favourite shot, the Willie Wagtail on an old cattle bone, I've titled this "Art Appreciation"

Rainbow Bee-eaters at Papunya

It seems appropriate these birds are around as there is a lot of storm activity out west of Alice Springs. Hot and humid, and not many insects, but the Bee-eaters are still doing ok food-wise.